Raiders Fall FTX            

On the weekend of 8-10 Oct, Raiders Company participated in their semi-annual field training exercise. This was by far the largest group of Raiders to participate in a FTX. FTXs are designed to teach midshipmen and officer candidates with the basic field skills needed for being an officer of Marines and to hone their leadership skills. Fall FTXs focus primarily on the fire team and include a variety of events ranging from land navigation to conducting fire team offenses. Semper Fi!!

Members of Raiders completed a two mile hump....all uphill, to the bivouac site.

Bivouac setup.

Chow in the field.

Land Navigation

Raiders conducted day and night land navigation courses to move from one point to another using nothing but pace count and a magnetic compass. Land navigation is one of the most vital skills for future Marine officers.

Fire Team Problems

Water Tower

Fire teams were used to assault, rescue, and reinforce other fire teams in securing a water tower.

Raiders CO, MIDN Bowden,  briefs fire team leaders before their mission.

Providing security

Fire teams on the move

Assaulting the objective

Creek Crossing

Fire team leaders put their problem solving skills to the test as they were forced to cross a creek and later conduct a fire team assault and rescue mission.

Don't fall!

GySgt White letting someone know they screwed up.

Night Movement

Raiders completed a night movement consisting of low crawling, back crawling, and conducting a night assault mission. It was used to simulate crawling under obstacles such as barbed wire, reinforce lessons in noise discipline, and reaction to night flares.

Squad Challenge

Water Jug Relays

Squads performed timed relays of completing 20 pushups before carrying a water jug to other members of their squad.

KIMS Game

SSgt Arrasmith had two volunteers from each squad participate in KIMS game. KIMS game is a memorization tool used by snipers to improve their memory skill. A layout of various objects are exposed for one minute and must be memorized before being covered up. For added difficulty they must complete a short run before writing down what they saw.

HUMVEE Push

PUSH!! Squads competed to see how fast they could push a HUMVEE.

Tug-of-War

MIDNs Wheeler and Newman show faces of determination

Altogether!! Squads went head to head in a test of strength and fortitude.

Squad Challenge Champions

Congratulations to MIDNs Lavine (squad leader), Archut, Diddams, Sedlak, Smith, Wood, Bond, Atkinson, and Jablonski of 1st Squad, 1st Platoon....OOH-RAH!!

Raiders Company

The motivated members of Raiders Company after completing another successful field training exercise.

The legend of Raiders...Raiders XO, LCpl Wilt

GySgt White enjoying another FTX.